TRAVEL TIPS FOR TOMATOES
Phyllis Stoller has a BA from Tufts University, an MA from New York University and a Finance Degree from the University of the South Bank, London England. Phyllis Stoller founded and managed for 16 years, the largest tour operator for women in North America. She was voted top in women’s travel by Travel & Leisure Magazine,the first to receive this honor. Phyllis has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, Lifetime TV for Women and others. She is a consultant on marketing to women.
Phyllis now resides in New York City and London, England and is affiliated with ECPS Consulting Corporation in New York. She prides herself on her family: husband, Eric, a ‘keeper’, sons Nick (comedy writer and director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Matt , a progressive political strategist who works with liberal Democratic candidates. Phyllis can be reached at Phyllisnycity@gmail.com.
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Winter Travel for Tomatoes
Phyllis Stoller
Ok, So the truth is that I am sitting here during the first snow storm of the season, wondering if I will fly out tonight to London for Christmas. It is December 19 and American Airlines has already called once to cancel the first flight to London, and the snow is piling up as I type. As we approach winter travel the chances your trip will be interrupted magnify. There are a number of steps you can take to avoid some weather contingencies. Travel insurance is of course Step 1.
Travel Insurance
This insurance is issued by many companies and often your travel seller, American Airlines, in my case, offers it with your ticket. Some companies allow you to add insurance after your first deposit, some do not, and some allow it with limitations on ‘pre-existing conditions’. It covers weather and a myriad of health and other complications. If you have a weather issue: keep proof of any local situation the insurance company might not know about and try to deny. I had a client who took a taxi to San Antonio Airport miles away, got stuck in a storm, had to return home and fly the next day. She was able to prove her extra taxis by submitting a newspaper article about the weather situation in her local area to the claims adjuster. Your driveway is blocked by snow: take a photograph with a date on it. Flights are cancelled and you are told to wait forever in the airport but do not want to: take a photo of the departures board with all the cancellations and get names of all personnel you speak with.
Part 2 of travel insurance. Assuming that your flight has been cancelled, call the insurer asap. (Do not pack your policy with its 24/7 number in your checked luggage!) The insurer will ask you basic questions, but be prepared to make suggestions. A client from St. Paul MN was booked to fly to Frankfurt via Newark on Continental. She heard on television that Newark was snowed in. She researched other flights to Frankfurt immediately on the web. Her pitch to the insurer was as follows. I can get a $1,000 last minute one way ticket to Frankfurt via Iceland on Icelandair instead of losing 2 days of my 5 day trip, will you pay for it? They paid and she was able to join the group, a few hours late.
Connecting with others involved in your trip: hotel, car service, tour company etc.
Have all these numbers clearly printed on paper, with spaces in between so you can make notations about calls, who you spoke with etc. Warning:::Car services, at least in the US, are notorious for saying they check all flights for delays, but then charge you for hours spent waiting. After my last flight from Dubai, which was 3 hours late and a car service that charged me $160 instead of $60, I now call them from abroad if the flight is that late, in order to prove they knew the new time of arrival AND I use a new service.
Knowing Flight Routes
If there are flight cancellations, do your home work, know alternative routes to your destination. Once at the airport, you can seek out the departure gates for alternative flights and try to get on stand by. This of course only works if you are going with carry on luggage, but we will get to that. I was booked to go to Miami and the flight was cancelled. Sun starved passengers were lining up to be re-booked on a later flight but were being told most of those were full also. I ran over to the New Orleans flight, was able to have airline staff look at availability on the New Orleans-Miami connection -there was plenty. I got to Miami a bit later than wanted, but it was a smooth switch. The cooler part of this move, was that I heard American paging two people who did not turn up for the New Orleans flight, so I was able to grab one of their seats when they never arrived.
Carry On Luggage
A good way to survive luggage angst is to carry on whatever you need for the first 48 hours. A better way is to carry it on in a bag that fits under the seat in front of you. If you travel during peak seasons, and take last minute seats, there will probably be no room overhead for your stuff. But the area in front of you (except in some seats with a partition ahead, and some emergency row seats), belongs to you and you alone. People who fight about overhead space do not realize it belongs to everyone on the plane, not to the person sitting under it! So far the best luggage I have found is a Tumi, roll aboard which does hold enough to keep most people going, and does fit. $500 seemed pricey, but not when you know your near and dear stuff is visible.
Surviving Airport Delays
Again, homework is the answer: have a list of airport hotels with their local numbers, not their 800’s, so you can call immediately and book yourself a room. Most rooms are held until 6PM with no cancellation fees so if in doubt protect yourself with reservations. The local number often offers a lower rate than the toll free central office. If you have travel insurance, call them and clear it that they are paying for this hotel, keep all receipts for meals, transportation and such for your claim. Obviously keep notes of your conversation with everyone: name, reference number etc.
Buy yourself a day pass to an airline club
These will also be full, but at least bathrooms are clean, there are a few freebies in simple food and drinks. Some have free computer access, and wireless. Day passes usually cost about $75 but can be worth it if your delay is very long. Check the hours for the club to assure you can stay as long as you need to.
Bring Your Own Food
In bad weather it is not unusual for restaurants in the airport to be short handed, out of food, and even closed. A small sandwich, apple, etc can be lifesavers. Remember you cannot carry on liquids, but drinks are rarely sold out, it is food that will be.
Do not fly broke!
It might sound ridiculous, but I have had clients say, they spent all their remaining money in the airport duty free! Always pack an extra $150 somewhere for emergencies. And do not spend your last Euro, Pound or Peso until the plane is really going to leave.
Keep your cool, and be as nice as you can to everyone else stuck in the same situation, especially the staff.
Hope I get out tonight!
Phyllis Stoller, Marketing Officer for www.spamexico.com and former tour operator for women’s tours.
